Complete Guide
Female Body Types
There are 4 main female body types — hourglass, pear, apple, and rectangle — classified by the ratio between your bust, waist, and hip measurements. Here is each one explained, with the exact measurement rule behind it.
The 4 female body types
Hourglass
A balanced bust and hips with a clearly defined, narrower waist — the classic symmetrical silhouette.
Pear
Also called triangle — hips noticeably wider than the bust, one of the most common female body shapes.
Apple
A fuller bust and midsection carried above a narrower hip and leg line.
Rectangle
A straight, athletic silhouette where bust, waist, and hips sit close in measurement.
Female Body Types Chart
| Shape | Bust vs hips | Waist definition |
|---|---|---|
| Hourglass | Bust and hips are roughly the same size | A clearly nipped-in waist — the most dramatic waist definition of the four shapes |
| Pear | Hips are visibly wider than the bust | A defined waist, but not as sharply narrow as an hourglass |
| Apple | Bust is fuller than the hips | Little waist indentation — the midsection is the widest part |
| Rectangle | Bust and hips are roughly the same size | A fairly straight waistline, without the sharp narrowing of an hourglass |
Frequently asked questions
What are the 4 female body types?
The 4 main female body types, based on bust, waist, and hip measurements, are hourglass, pear, apple, and rectangle. Hourglass has balanced bust and hips with a narrow waist; pear has hips wider than the bust; apple has a bust larger than the hips; rectangle has bust, waist, and hips that are all close in measurement.
How do I find out my female body type?
Measure your bust at the fullest point, your waist at the narrowest point, and your hips at the widest point with a soft tape measure. Compare the three numbers: if hips are noticeably wider than bust, you are pear; if bust and hips are close and the waist is dramatically narrower, you are hourglass; if bust is larger than hips, you are apple; if all three are close in measurement, you are rectangle. Our free body type calculator applies these ratios automatically.
Can your body type change?
Yes — unlike bone-structure systems like Kibbe, measurement-based body types (hourglass, pear, apple, rectangle) can shift with weight change, pregnancy, muscle gain, and age, since they are based on the ratio between bust, waist, and hip measurements at a given point in time.
What is the most common female body shape?
Research on body shape distribution varies by population, but rectangle and pear are frequently cited as the most common female body shapes, with true hourglass (a waist at least 25% narrower than the bust-hip average) being comparatively less common.
Are there more than 4 female body types?
Some style guides list a longer count — like 10, or even 21 — by breaking each core shape into sub-variations (petite hourglass, full hourglass, athletic pear, and so on) or by mixing in bone-structure systems like Kibbe. Those larger lists are refinements, not a different classification: they all still sit within the same 4 measurement-based shapes — hourglass, pear, apple, and rectangle — defined by the ratio between bust, waist, and hips.
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